How to Comment Out in JavaScript

In this article, we will walk you through the basics of how to comment out in JavaScript. Commenting out code is a significant part of programming, as it allows the developer to insert descriptive notes to explain complex pieces of code or to prevent specific lines of code from running without deleting them.

Code Snippet: Commenting out in JavaScript

There are two methods to comment out code in JavaScript: single line comments and multi-line comments.

For a single line comment in JavaScript, you can use the double forward slash // before the line of code you wish to comment out. Here is an example:

// This is a single line comment
console.log('Hello, World!');

For multi-line comments, you can use the /* to start the comment and */ to end it. It looks like this:

/*
This is a multi-line comment
You can write as many lines as you want!
*/
console.log('Hello, World!');

Code Explanation: Commenting out in JavaScript

The single line comment is created using two forward slashes // before the text or code that you want to comment out. The JavaScript interpreter does not process anything after // on the same line. In the given example, 'Hello, World!' is printed to the console as the comment does not affect it.

For multi-line comments, you begin with a /* and end with a */. Any text or code located between these two symbols is treated as a comment. Multi-line comments are especially helpful when you wish to prevent several lines of code from running or when you want to insert a large descriptive note. In the given example, ‘Hello, World!’ is printed to the console because our comment does not affect it.

Remember, commenting out is not only used for explaining complicated code, but is also a handy debugging tool to selectively ignore portions of your code.